More on current - I had taken the EAC into account in the original back of envelope calculation, but ignored the equatorial current transit, thinking (actually assuming - silly child) the effect would be negligible. But it all gets taken into account by my conservative average of 4 knots overall - we'd be averaging close to 6 but for the current and we're getting about 4.5 now, in it.
More Funsterism - and storms at night: Of course, it also depends on what the sea state is (what sort of waves, what shape they are, how high, how far apart) which depends on which way the wind is blowing, whether there is a current and things like that. And finally, on the direction you are trying to sail relative to the wind and the waves...But phosphorescence in a storm almost - almost - cancels out the scariness! You seem to be surging along in huge cascades of diamonds, vast fans of blasting sparkling spray, sometimes just diamonds, sometimes rubies and emeralds as well as the drops and the dinos take on some of the colour of your red and green masthead lights. And in very special storms, dolphins are sometimes swimming along as well.
Food - we filled about 10 trolleys at Woollies and Coles - almost anything that is canned, plastic packed or waterporrfed or otherwise opreserved. But no glass bottles! (Why?)so we have biscuits, cans of stew, cheese (but doesn't keep - we have no fridge)bacon (also has to be eaten as soon as you open the pack - did you see my description of eating it when it's rotten?). Yesterday, McQ cooked a hash of bacon, tinned stew, creamed corn and maybe other stuff. Looks like dog food, but it tastes ok! And we brought some spuds, tomatos, a pumpkin, onions and red cabbage. Only spuds and onions left. And some eggs, which we hard boiled to preserve them.
Enough for the mo - I am having difficulty sending these long ones so will try to keep them shortish.
